[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING VICTOR BUSSIE

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I come before you today to 
celebrate the life and contributions of one of Louisiana's favorite 
sons. This week the citizens of Louisiana are remembering the 
monumental life of Mr. Victor Bussie. Mr. Bussie passed away Sunday, 
September 4, 2011, at the age of 92. He was laid to rest in Baton 
Rouge, LA last Friday. Mr. Bussie was buried not far from our State 
Capitol, where he fought tirelessly for more 50 years to strengthen and 
uphold the rights of working men and women in Louisiana and across the 
Nation.
  A hero to thousands, the scourge of some, and ally for many; Mr. 
Bussie spent a lifetime fighting side-by-side with like-minded men and 
women. He was motivated by a sense of justice and a desire to secure 
worker protections and the fundamental civil rights that many of us 
take for granted. During his 41 years at the helm of the Louisiana AFL-
CIO Mr. Bussie saw the evolution of not just workers rights but our 
country's constant struggle for fundamental civil rights. From 1956-
1997 Mr. Bussie worked to secure civil rights, equal rights for 
minorities and women, a fair minimum wage, adequate workplace safety, 
defined pension plans, and numerous other fair labor laws for the 
people of Louisiana.
  Mr. Bussie kept his sharp and analytical mind to the very end. He 
passed with his beloved wife Fran at his side.
  When I began my political career as a State legislator almost 33 
years ago, Mr. Bussie was a fixture at the Louisiana Legislature. He 
spent tireless hours effectively advocating on behalf of the hundreds 
of thousands of men and women he represented. I remember him as 
fearless and resolute in his belief in civil rights and fair treatment 
for all. He refused to back down even after his house was bombed by a 
member of the Ku Klux Klan in 1967. In 2010, I attended a dinner 
honoring the lifetime achievements of Mr. Bussie and was in awe of his 
accomplishments. Mr. Bussie was a strong willed and tenacious advocate 
for what he believed in but he consistently treated everyone with 
dignity and respect.
  Mr. Bussie was born in Natchitoches Parish, home of the oldest 
permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. His family later moved 
to Boyce in the central part of Louisiana near Alexandria. He served in 
the Navy during WWII and later worked as a hose man with the Shreveport 
Fire Department. Many times over the years he described to me how much 
he had loved being a firefighter and how much he loved the camaraderie 
among the men in his unit.
  It was because of his sense of fairness, sharp intellect and demeanor 
that he was approached by his fellow firefighters to represent their 
interests. In 1956, he was elected president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO. 
He remained president until his retirement in 1997. Throughout his 
career Mr. Bussie acted with dignity and garnered the respect of even 
from those who opposed his position.
  Mr. Bussie was a giant in the State of Louisiana and an example of 
how passionate advocacy could and should be expressed with dignity and 
grace. Like countless other Louisianians, I am a better person for 
having known him. On behalf of the U.S. Senate, I wish to offer my 
condolences to his wife Fran, the entire Bussie family, and all the 
members of the Louisiana AFL-CIO. Louisiana lost a true hero.

                          ____________________